He had to be the one to remind us of why we were doing this, retreating from the kiss.
“Whoa, sorry.” My nervous utterance matched my uneven footing.
He gripped my arm to steady me. “I believe we will convince the world we are a couple.”
Convince. Couple. Complicated confusion. This had better work, or I was going to be a complete disaster.
I kissed Ty good night, even though he was already fast asleep with Yolo at his side. Since the Ian debacle, Yolo had managed to worm her way into both our beds and she helped fill a void for me while Ty was gone.
“By seven-thirty, he was out on the sofa. I had to wake him just to get his bath.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Denise. I appreciate you working us into your schedule.” I gave her a hug.
“My schedule hasn’t been that busy since Ian and Oliver moved.”
It was funny how the mention of Ian and Oliver could immediately make me morbidly sad. “I miss them terribly. Part of my heart is out in California, but I’ve decided to move on. I’ve met someone.” My confession was part of the plan. I needed her to know in case she spoke with Ian.
“So soon? I hate to hear that.” Her face sullen with sadness. She walked toward the front door.
“He’s the one that left me. He told me to move on, but I begged, pleaded, and waited—for almost six months. I’d still be waiting if Jason hadn’t come into my life.” The urge to defend myself had me babbling uncontrollably.
She hugged me. “I want you to be happy. That’s all.”
Yeah, I did too. I hoped my actions didn’t turn people against me. It was a huge gamble.
Later in bed, I pulled up my social media accounts, and all of them were postings and comments about my new mystery man.
Yes! Onward to phase two.
Shawna and Jorge had been standoffish ever since Jorge confessed to speaking with Ian. They gave the usual wave or greeting when they were out walking, but as far as feeling the close-knit family relationship, it could have been better assessed as strained.
“You want us to come to dinner?” Shawna repeated into the phone.
She was going to be my hardest sell. If I was going to pull of my love-heist, I needed her buy-in more than anyone.
After clearing my throat, I said, “Yes. I’ve met someone I’d like you to meet. Ty will be with Carson tomorrow night, and I’d like to grill out. Can you make it at six-thirty?”
“Chelz, what are you doing rushing into another relationship when you aren’t over Ian.”
I finished washing the last of the breakfast dishes. “It’s been almost six months, and Jason is really nice. Come to dinner and meet him.”
She scoffed at my suggestion. “With all the photos and postings on Facebook and Twitter, I feel like I should already know him. But, you’ve never been one to use social media. So why now? Unless you’re throwing him in Ian’s face?”
She was on to me. If anyone knew me, it was Shawna. “Jason’s a big social media buff. I’m learning to pick my battles.”
“Have you introduced him to Ty yet?” The inquisitive bomb just dropped. She’d missed her calling as an investigator.
“No. They will meet this weekend at the engagement party.”
“Oh.” Her voice dropped off, and I knew she was processing what I’d said. She knew an introduction to Ty meant I was serious about Jason. Actions speak louder than words and are always…more convincing.
Jason was amazing around Jorge and Shawna. He nibbled my bare shoulder once, and I caught Shawna checking him out from his dark hair all the way to his flip-flops and bare toes.
Just like a man, he took over at the grill while I prepared the vegetables to go on later.
“I can’t wait for y’all to taste the pie she made for dessert.” Jason teased them.
Shawna rolled her eyes at me. “Pie, instead of cookies?”
Rubbing oil on the squash, I tried to keep eye contact to a minimum. “What can I say? Jason likes pie, so I made chocolate chip pie. It’s my second one this week, and gosh, it is to die for.”
She gripped my forearm to get me to stop and look at her. “Don’t you think you’re moving way too fast here?”
Jason walked into the kitchen, and I handed him the veggies with a wink. “No, we’re very happy.”
“Convo is not over, but I gotta pee.” She darted to the bathroom.
“You just peed ten minutes ago,” I called after her.
She huffed at me when she returned, pulling a chair away from the table to make room for her belly. “Little Samantha is taking up too much room in there. Doc says this weekend is it. He only lets you go an extra week past due date.”
I rubbed her belly and gave her a hug. “You know I love you like my own sister, right?”
“Yeah, but—”
“No buts. Let me be happy, even if it’s short lived. You’ve forgotten what it’s like to be lonely.” I fetched her another glass of lemonade and poured a glass of wine for me.
“Well, whatever it is, you’re glowing, and your body is bangin’. I’m never gonna get mine back. Sammie has stretched me to Mars and back.”
We both laughed. That statement was close to the truth. Shawna normally weighed around a hundred ten pounds, but she’d gained about thirty pounds during the pregnancy, and every pound was in her belly. Her nose and feet were still the same, and her hips had the exact same roundness as before. She would rebound easily. I was sure of it.
Thoughts of being pregnant haunted me. Having Ian’s baby was a dream I’d often had when we were together.
“Dinner’s ready,” Jason announced, carrying in the trays of beautifully grilled food.
Shawna and Jorge both warmed to him easily, but thoughts about my lies turned in my stomach, keeping me from enjoying the wonderful meal.
Would they forgive me when they found out the truth? What I was doing was asking them to accept him and share their lives as if he were going to become part of mine. Deceitful…
Chapter Nineteen
Jason stopped by the boutique on Friday and met Isabella, Mick, and Brent. Surprisingly, they were very nice to him and welcomed him, regardless of the situation.
Isabella joined me in my office while the guys put most of the tables in storage since the caterer was bringing small, standing cocktail tables for the party. “He’s adorable—personality, good looks, manners. Even the guys like him. He’s too good to be true,” Isabella smarted.
“I’ll add insult to injury. He’s also a fabulous kisser.”
I didn’t realize he’d appeared in the doorway. “You talking about me?” he teased.
“Yep. I told her you were a horrible kisser.” I laughed and joined him at the door.
He pulled me in for a deep kiss before releasing me quickly. “That bad, huh?”
Isabella brushed past us. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you two were falling for each other. Very convincing.”
I glanced at Jason and felt a flush come to my cheeks. He awakened things in me I had to fight. “I’ve gotta check in with the florist. Excuse me.”
When my office was finally empty of extra people, I closed the door and searched social media. I couldn’t find any sign that Ian had seen anything, but his accounts were still open. I took a deep breath and said a prayer that my plan was gonna work.
With my eyes closed, I thought about our last time together. The way he touched me, made me wait for my completion, kept my desires burning like an eternal flame. As much as I tried to forget after he left, I could still feel his flesh upon mine and the coolness, as if he’d just pulled away.
My phone rang, disturbing my thoughts.
“Baby!” Jorge announced with excitement.
“She had the baby?” I stood and grabbed my purse.
“Not yet, her water broke, and we’re headed to the hospital. Can you meet us there?
“I’m on my way.”
I ran to the bistro and announced to the group, “It’s baby ti
me with Shawna, and I’m headed to the hospital. I’ll call Denise to pick up Ty. See you all tomorrow.”
“I’ll drive you,” Jason said, scooting to my side.
He was really playing the part.
I was really liking it…
The waiting room had a great hallway for pacing—cool design if intended. If not, it was fate. Jorge was with Shawna, and she was already completing her labor and pushing by the time we arrived, so I only got to stick my head in and say hello before the nurses shoed me away.
When Jorge walked out carrying Samantha, huge tears covered his cheeks. The dark-haired munchkin was a beauty. Her eyes were puffy and tightly closed, but he said they were dark just like his. She had ruby red lips and full cheeks. Weighing over eight pounds, she had the cutest little rolls in her full thighs but quickly got pissed when unwrapped from her blanket. I couldn’t wait to hold the little butterball, but Jorge had to get the baby back inside the room before they called security.
We had to wait a few minutes before they let family in. Since we were the first to arrive, Jason and I got a little extra time with Momma and baby Sam.
“She’s perfect, Shawna.” I kissed her little cheeks and held her close to my heart. There’s nothing as amazing as the smell of babies.
Jason snapped selfies of us with the baby and proudly displayed them with the caption, “New niece has arrived. Welcome to the world, Samantha Jo Gonzales. Congratulations Jorge and Shawna Gonzales.”
“Our little angel,” Shawna said with a yawn. Jorge kissed her.
I watched them intently. So in love with each other, their relationship was now complete with little Sammie.
“Want to do it again in nine months?” Jorge asked.
Shawna looked up at him with an eager smile. “Yes and again nine months after that.”
Their love was real, and the green monster roared inside me. My emotions began to take over about the time Sam started fussing. I was sure she was hungry, so I handed her off to Mommy, and we said our goodbyes.
Tears flowed from me uncontrollably, and I shook like a thunderstorm. Jason wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me to his chest. “It’s all gonna be okay. Let’s get you home.”
Denise had picked up Ty and taken him to his sleepover, so the house was dark, except for a small, dimly lit lamp on a table in the corner of my den.
The darkness drew me in, and I sat on the sofa, staring off into space.
“Want me to get you something?” he asked, while rubbing my shoulders.
“Yes, I’ve got to make cookies for the party tomorrow, so I need some strong coffee to perk me up. Do you know how to use the espresso machine?”
“Uh, not yours, I don’t think.”
Pushing my feet to the floor, I grabbed his hand and pulled him to my kitchen for an espresso lesson.
We were comfortable with each other. He tasted the cookie dough and gave his opinions, and before I knew it, I had made dough for ten dozen, and it was way past midnight. When he warmed up a piece of leftover pie from Wednesday’s dinner, added ice cream and RediWhip, I quickly got on a sugar high and lost my freakin’ mind.
He fed me bites, but he was teasing me with them and kept backing off. I started chasing him, and the flirting came as natural between us as any normal couple. Before I knew it, we were on the bed in my room, making out.
“Chelsie, I want you. I wanna know what it feels like to have you naked under me, to know I’m bringing you pleasure.” He pushed back and ran his fingers through his dark hair. “This is so hard. I know my feelings are wrong, and if you say no, I’ll be able to remain the professional, but the real me is crazy about you, and I think Ian Briggs is a fuckin’ fool. Any man would be lucky to have you in his life.”
I pushed away from him. “Um, wow.” Pulling my knees to my chest, I answered him honestly. “Look, I can’t lie. I enjoy being with you too. It’s like we’ve known each other for years. But…my heart is still with Ian. I’m sorry. This,” I spread my arms wide, “Is wrong. We go to the next level, and there’s no turning back, and…people will get hurt.”
“By people, you mean me, Chelsie. You need to say what you mean. I will get hurt because you’ll never love another man but Ian? Is that it?” For the first time, I noticed lines at the corners of his beautiful eyes.
As mercurial as any man I’ve known, he pulled me from the bed and led me to the front door. “Your car is at the boutique. What time do I need to be here in the morning to help you bake all that cookie dough?” His smile told me we were okay to finish the plan we started.
“How about ten? And wear some comfortable clothes because Ty will want to play games with you. You can shower and change here before the party. Ty won’t be here until after lunch, so follow my lead with him when he arrives.”
The bubbles consumed the majority of my body in the hot bath, but the large tub reminded me of the emptiness and how a large piece of me was missing. Was I playing with fire? Was I going to lose on every front?
Why did men have to be so hard?
I came up with the pros and cons of men:
Pro: They have dicks
Con: They are dicks
The big event was quickly approaching. Would Jason and I be able to convince the world we were a couple? And more to the point, would it get back to Ian and gain the result I wanted? I needed? I desperately craved? Or, would it be all for nothing?
Then there was Jason or Brandon or whoever he was. Could he just be playing me? Did he get a kick out of his acting gig and take it too far?
Questions, questions, and more questions without any answers.
My life was a complete and utter mess… It was a lie.
I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t, tossing and turning until the sheets popped loose from their elastic corners. Sitting up in bed with my iPad, I opened my Kindle app and flipped page after page but couldn’t find interest in the story, so I tried another and another…
Finally, I made it to a few minutes after five and decided to go for a run. With Yolo fastened to her leash, we headed out the front door.
A moving truck parked in front of Ian’s house stopped me dead in my tracks. I waited to see if things were being moved in or moved out. There was no sign of anyone. I casually meandered toward it. When I placed my hand on the hood, the engine was cold.
Chapter Twenty
I pushed myself hard on my run and somehow, Yolo managed to keep up.
No, no, no, I cried out into the early morning’s foggy air. I didn’t care who heard.
There was no need to continue the painful faux boyfriend scenario since Ian was closing the last door between us.
Yes, I’d hoped he would come back to me, but the house was the final straw. What a fucking fool I’d been.
Tears and angst consumed me. As I passed other runners, they took note of me tracking through my pain, and several nodded in support. Something runners often experienced—seeing other people out blazing through their emotions—like a method of cleansing.
Ian was a both a virus and a drug, neither of which I could rid myself of, nor did I want to. That was a huge problem.
It was Yolo who finally made me slow down and rest. I looked up. I hadn’t realized how far we’d come. We were almost to the boutique.
I gave her the water in my bottle and remembered my car was still parked in back of the boutique. With only a few hundred yards to go, we walked the remainder at a slower pace. When we turned the corner of the building, I noticed a dark car idling in front of the store.
Without hesitation, the driver threw the car in reverse, zoomed passed me, and made a dangerous turn at the corner. I couldn’t see into the tinted windows to identify the driver, but I knew enough to be sure something was definitely wrong.
I looked for Sabrina’s car, but she hadn’t finished moving in yet. Without keys, the only thing I could do was break in to my own building. The idea of having a glass replacement service there during Isabella’s special day didn’t seem
quite right, so I gave it a second thought. The closest fuel station was about a mile away, which was a better option. I was certain the attendant would allow me to use his phone if I explained the emergency.
“Ma’am, we don’t allow dogs in here,” he said with hateful broken English from behind the glass partition.
I took Yolo back outside and tied her to the newspaper stand at the right side of the door.
“May I use your phone to call a cab?”
“Cab? Oh see, yes cab.”
He didn’t share his phone, but he pointed outside, and within a couple of minutes, a cab arrived to take us home.
“No dogs,” the cab driver all but screamed at me.
Rude Fucktard.
“Thank you. We’ll walk.” I slammed his door
Yolo and I slowly ventured back toward home. Because I’d detoured off my normal path to visit the convenience store, I had to take several streets I normally wouldn’t take in a shady part of town in predawn light, no doubt. That’s when I saw the same black car again idling at the corner of Rayburn and 5th Avenue.
Were they waiting for me? Oh shit. I took off running as fast as I could. “Run, Yolo, run girl.”
Occasional glances behind me didn’t reveal the car, but the way my hair stood up from my flesh warned me. We continued to run without breaking, and even Yolo ran as if her life depended on it. Of all times for the streets to be empty of runners or folks walking their dogs.
Grateful the sun had come up by the time I approached the turn toward our alley drive, I looked back to see the black sedan zoom past me, but I still couldn’t identify the driver. Entering the code, Yolo and I quickly escaped into the garage, and I used the hidden spare key to open the door to the house.
Grabbing my phone and one of Ty’s baseball bats, I sat on the hearth of my fireplace and listened for any abnormal sounds for the longest of time before finally taking residence on the sofa. It would’ve taken a helluva noise to be louder than my thundering heartbeat. Every slough and slosh rang out in my ears. Yolo was dead tired and laid beside me, but I’d glance at her from time to time, and she was definitely pissed about something.
Complicated on 5th Avenue: 5th Avenue Romance Series, Book Two Page 11
